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06/25/18

10 things to Clean to get Ready for Summer Entertaining

When I think about summer I think about making my house look good for all the outside entertaining we do- eating out on the deck, having friends over, bringing the BBQ back out and all kinds of fun! Here’s my list of the 10 things you should clean when getting ready for outdoor entertaining.

The first thing you notice when you drive up to someone’s house is the outside. Is the garage door dirty, are the windows cloudy, are there cobwebs hanging in the eves? Not for long because today I’m going to show you how to clean all those and more so that your house will make a great impression on all your guests!

The Garage Door

You’ve probably never really thought about cleaning the garage door but I guarantee you it’s dirty! Luckily it’s a very easy thing to clean, here’s what you need:

Pressure washer

Dish soap

Water

Bucket

Clean rag

Pour a small amount of dish soap in the bucket, then, fill it up with water from the hose. Get the rag wet then wash the garage door with it, just like you would a car.

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You can also get your kids involved with this cleaning task, our daughter loved helping us wash the garage door!

After you’ve wiped the entire garage door down, spray it off with the pressure washer.

Wash the trim around the door also to give it an extra clean look! Be careful with the setting on the pressure water since too focused of water pressure will cut through wood, brick, concrete and other materials.

Cob Webs

During the winter months you probably haven’t spent much time outside looking under your eves and while you weren’t looking those pesky spiders came and made your home their own. To get rid of them all you need is a cobweb duster with a telescopic pole. Walk around the outside of your home and capture any webs you find with the cobweb duster.

To clean the cobwebs off the duster, simply roll it around on the lawn or a bush. This is a simple trick but it works great for getting the sticky webs off!

Windows

After a season of rain and snow the windows on your house will look dingy and dirty. Now that the sun is out you don’t want to be looking out at water spots, you want to be able to enjoy the view! A quick and easy way to wash your windows is with the SteamMachine. Here’s what you’ll need:

SteamMachine

Water

Clean rag

Ladder (optional)

Fill the SteamMachine with water and let it sit until the water is hot. Using the squeegee attachment, steam the window in an upward motion and then squeegee the window on the way down.

You’ll be amazed at the gunk the steam gets off the window! Use a clean rag to wipe excess water and dirt off the bottom of the window. This is a quick and easy way to wash all your exterior windows and it gives you professional results!

Trash Cans

Have you ever walked up to someone’s house and been offended by the smell of trash. I know I have and it’s gross! We store our trash cans on the front of our house so I’m always worried someone will smell our trash when they come over. Now is the perfect time to wash out your trash cans and get them smelling fresh!

Here’s what you’ll need:

Pressure washer

Dish soap

Odor eliminators

First make sure there is no trash in each of the cans. Then pour a little dish soap in each of the cans. Lay them on their sides and use a pressure washer to wash them out.

After each of them has been cleaned, dry the inside of the lid and stick a odor eliminator to the underside of the lid.

Now your trash cans are clean and the odor eliminators will keep them smelling fresh for up to 6 months!

Dusting the Garage

We love to play and entertain in our front yard and a lot of times we have our garage door up. Having our garage exposed can be embarrassing if we don’t do some cleaning in there too! Start by taking everything out of the garage then it’s readying for dusting. Personally I don’t like to dust so I use a cordless handheld vacuum and let it do all the work for me.

Make sure you dust off workbenches, window sills and all the other nooks and crannies in the garage. If you come across any cobwebs use the cobweb duster to take them down.

The Garage Floor

Cleaning the garage floor is very important because it constantly gets tracked with dirt and everything else on your car tires. Since the garage has already been cleared out for dusting this is the perfect opportunity to clean the floor. Start by sweeping the floor and throwing away all the dust and dirt. Next let’s clean the garage floor, here’s what you’ll need:

Concrete Cleaner

Pressure washer

Stiff bristled brush

Sprinkle the concrete cleaner over the garage floor then sprinkle with a small amount of water to “active” its molecules.

Let it sit for 10 minutes then scrub it with a stiff bristled brush. After scrubbing the garage floor let it sit for another 5 minutes. When 5 minutes has expired rinse the garage floor with the pressure washer.

Now your garage floor will be nice and clean and ready to show off! You can also use concrete cleaner to clean your driveway, sidewalks and even your front porch!

Organizing Storage, Toys & More

The thing that makes garages look dirty, more than anything else, is clutter. To make your garage look clean, organize seasonal totes, toys and sporting equipment. The previous owners of our home installed lots of shelving in our garage but it was still cluttered with all our sporting equipment. To clean up our garage I purchased a board storage rack and a Racor 2-Bike Folding Rack.

By organizing the kids’ toys, the shelves and getting our bikes and boards off the ground our garage is much cleaner and looks even bigger!

The Front Porch

Another important place your guests will see is the front porch. For most people, the front porch is the first impression they get of your home so it’s definitely not an area you want to forget about! There are lots of pieces that make up the front porch: lights, front door, windows, threshold steps and possibly even more. Luckily, even though there are a lot of things to clean, they are all easy to clean. Here’s what you’ll need:

Broom

Water

Dish Soap

2 Clean Rags

Ladder

Start by removing the light fixture. Empty the bug carcasses into the trash and wash the glass bulb in the sink with dish soap and water. Dry it off and secure it back in place.

Next sweep the front porch. It’s important to sweep before doing anything else to get rid of the dust because if you sweep last you’ll be getting things dirty that you already cleaned!

Luckily if your porch has windows you would have already cleaned them with the SteamMachine, so we can skip that step. The next thing to clean is the front door. Dampen a clean rag and wipe down your front door. Next use the same rag to wipe down the threshold.

By cleaning the patio and the threshold you’ll keep dirt from getting tracked into your clean home. If you have any decorations on the front porch wipe them down as well.

Tidy up and add some fresh flowers to make your front porch inviting and a perfect first impression for your guests.

The BBQ

One of the most important things about having guests over is food. People always have a good time if there are drinks and food being served! After a long break the BBQ is probably a little crusty and in need of a good cleaning. A seasoned BBQ is a good thing but a dusty and dirty BBQ is just gross. For an easy way to clean your BBQ use a grill cleaning tool.

Use a grill cleaning tool according to the directions, start by heating up the grill and scraping off the food that’s crusted to the grates.

Then turn the brush over and turn the valve on to release the water. Most grill cleaning tools use steam to clean off tough grease and dirt. With minimal scrubbing your grill will be ready for serving in no time!

Patio Furniture

When your guests arrive you’ll want to make sure they have a clean place to sit and relax. Cleaning your patio furniture is the last thing we need to do to have the outside of your home fully prepared for Summer! To clean the patio furniture here’s what you’ll need:

Dish soap

Water

Empty spray bottle

2 Clean rags

Cordless Vacuum

The first step in cleaning the patio furniture is cleaning the cushions. Vacuum up any dust, pollen, leaves, etc. that are sitting on the furniture.

Next vacuum any pillows you have on your patio furniture to get any dust and pollen out of their stuffing. After you’ve cleaned the cushions, set them aside.

Fill the spray bottle with warm water and add 1/2 teaspoon of dish soap. By adding the soap second you’ll avoid having bubbles overflow the bottle. Lightly shake the spray bottle to mix the soap and water. Spray the patio furniture with the soap and water mixture and then wipe it with a clean rag, removing dust, pollen, etc.

After you’ve finished washing all the furniture, dampen the second clean rag and wipe all of them down to remove any leftover soap residue. Replace cushions and pillows and you’re patio furniture will look good as new!

We’ve done a lot of cleaning but now your home is ready for Summer and a season of outdoor parties! Enjoy!

About Anna

"Hi, I'm Anna! Wife, mother, child of God, and the founder of Ask Anna. I have always enjoyed cleaning, organizing, decorating and helping people, so I've put that all together on the pages of this blog. I truly hope my tips help you in your home and make sure to contact me if you have a question!"

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Welcome

"Hi, I'm Anna! Wife, mother, child of God, and the founder of Ask Anna. I have always enjoyed cleaning, organizing, decorating and helping people, so I've put that all together on the pages of this blog. I truly hope my tips help you in your home and make sure to contact me if you have a question!" Read More ...